Joe Beck of the Treasure Coasts Humanists asked Tom to write a song about the discrimination against Humanist veterans in VA hospitals.

Lyrics

My name is Jim Barney, I served in the army, at Utah, came under attackAnd it never mattered what I believed, my platoon knew I had their back For 40 years I taught bio and chem, coaching baseball was my job,But I couldn’t teach boy scouts astronomy cause I didn’t believe in god.If I don’t believe in god, I can’t teach the constellationsIf I don’t believe in god, I can’t play among the starsIf I don’t believe in god I’m a danger to the boys.Can’t give any merit badges if I don’t believe in god.

My name is Bill Davy, I was in the navy, caught up in that Vietnam fightYes I know we shouldn’t have been over there, but I did what I thought was right.I saved a sailor’s life as the waves came over the rail And it didn’t matter what I believed when I delivered your mail.But if I don’t believe in god no one comes mr wayWhen I’m dying of cancer at the local VAThere were priests & ministers, imams, and rabbis all coming to pray,But the chaplin must think I’ll be burning in hell from what he had to say

There were Lutheran and catholic clerics to comfort Nazis at NuremburgBut atheist memories never were honored by any words I ever heardWe died in your wars, suffer PTSD, and addictions all the sameGive us a treatment program, that isn’t in god’s name.No help for the heathen-no prayers at my bedNo stairway to heaven – what the chaplain saidNo god in my foxhole – no lord at my sideNo bedside manner when the secular humanist died